Computer problems and/or advice 2012

[gote]

Mark,
If your new computer has a bay for the old disk you can install it. There is a snag, however. Old disks are run from flat cables with a large number of leads (IDE) whereas new disks run from narrow cables with few leads (SATA). This means that perhaps you cannot install the old disk in the new computer except possibly if you can find a controller card that matches it. Discuss this with your computer supplier.

You should NOT format the old disk. That will make you loose all the programs and data.
You can make your computer re-start from the old one when you need to use programs that you only have there.
If you are happy with your old operating system you could make it start from the old one permanently.

If the old disk is old it will be approaching a disk crash. You can buy a new one including software that faithfully copies the complete old disk onto the newly bought. (I got it from Seagate) You can than retire the old one as a backup of today's state.

It is quite possible to have two virtual computers on the same disk. If you have XP and install W7 you might need to re-install programs from your missing CDs and it is not certain that your old programs run under the new operating system. You can, however install W7 so that XP is still there and you will choose system at start or re-start. I assume W8 has the same feature.

Göte
     

[TC]

I got round this problem by buying an external hard drive case.  This has its own power supply and is connected to the computer by an USB port.Your old HD is removed from your old computer - along with connectors and case fixing screws.  It is then put into the new casing, connected to the power supply and off you go.  When you click  computer on the menu, it should appear as a new Hard Drive.  You can open this and click- drag pictures etc. on to your new computers hard drive.  It can also be used in reverse by sending items from your new computers HD to the external drive.  The only downside is that it transfers data slower than an internal HD.  However, the external cases are now supplied with USB3 connections.
I bought mine from PC World but they are available on-line from other suppliers.

[Afloden]

Collect all your data to an external harddrive. Then, if you choose to reinstall software on the old computer or buy a new you have it all. If you get a new one, get it without an OS or anything. But first get UBUNTU, a free OS based on unix. After that there are free programs to avoid the high cost of Windows or Mac items. Libreoffice or Openoffice all work with the same functionality as Word (and include paint, excel, powerpoint, etc., like programs). Both can open windows files as well. You could also use these on your old computer if you choose to keep it.

[David Nicholson]

New desk top purchased yesterday and just beginning to get used to it and transfer stuff across from old computer before bringing it online and into full use. Windows 7 operating system. On my XP system I had it set to one click operation but don't seem to be able to find this facility on XP. Have I missed something?

[gote]

The external drive / drive cabinet is a good idea. Our problem is however not data. We can back up data and move them around with little problem. The main problem lies in what John has pointed out. Modern program need auxiliary files/data which are stored in areas that are (nearly) solely under control of the operating system. We thus need somehow to install the whole C-disk (or a copy of it) and run it. I am somewhat doubtful that it is possible to boot a computer from an external hard disk. I do not really know. It would presuppose that the software that connects the external disk is available  in the BIOS and can run before the boot disk starts. It is possible to run from a CD, however.
Göte

[Mick McLoughlin]

David,
It should be in Control Panel, Folder Options.
Cheers
Mick

[David Nicholson]

Thanks Mick I'll have a look.

[Alan_b]

Or Computer > Organize > Folder and search options > General tab > Click items as follows ...
Check the option 'Single click to open an item ...'

[David Nicholson]

Found it, many thanks. At my age energy saved by using single click is important.

[Alan_b]

What you are meant to do is to right-click the icons for all frequently-used programs and select 'pin to taskbar' or 'pin to start menu'.  Then you only need one click to launch the program regardless and you don't have to search through the clutter on your desktop to find the program icon.

[Gerry Webster]

I originally posted this on the Member's Board. Perhaps someone here has suggestions.

For the last 3 or 4 days I have found scrolling the forum pages quite difficult; movement is very jerky & erratic. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm using Firefox on a Mac. I've never had this problem before & it seems confined to this site;  I don't experience it  with sites such as Amazon or the BBC.

I have no problems when I switch to Safari.

Edit: I have just discovered that my Firefox 3.6.28 is "out-of-date" & that I need a new computer to run later versions.  I suppose Safari will go next. Wonderful!

[ArnoldT]

Gerry:

My Firefox says it's version 16.0.1

[Brian Ellis]

That is the problem Arnold, I am too.

[Gerry Webster]

Marvellous how computers & software become "out of date" when they still work adequately.

As I type this I have the radio on in  the background. It is coming from a 30 year old FM tuner (Sansui) - which sounds rather better than one acquired more recently - & it is playing through loudspeakers (Spendor) of a similar age which are as good or better than ones acquired 2 years ago.

[Alan_b]

I have just discovered that my Firefox 3.6.28 is "out-of-date" & that I need a new computer to run later versions. 

New computer or newer version of your Mac OS?

By the way, if you cannot get digital radio on your 30-year old FM tuner then that is out-of-date too.